From the Folkestone Chronicle 10 September 1859. Transcribed by Jan Pedersen.

ELHAM LICENSING DAY

At the Annual Licensing Day at Elham, on Monday last, the magistrates adjourned two cases for further consideration, to be decided at the Petty Sessions, at Hythe, on Thursday next. One was that of Mr. Offen, who keeps the "Duke of Wellington," at Sandgate, and against the renewal of whose licence a petition has been presented by some of the inhabitants of his neighbourhood; the other was that of the application for a licence by Mr. Groombridge, of the "Britannia," Horn Street, a rather thickly populated neighbourhood, where there is no licensed house within half a mile.

From the Folkestone Chronicle 17 September 1859. Transcribed by Jan Pedersen.

HYTHE PETTY SESSION

Thursday September 15th:- Before Rev. Mr. Biron, chairman, Major General Sandilands, Dr. Gidley, and W.F. Browell esq.

Licencing Day. – The Wellington, Sandgate.

Mr. Offen applied for a transfer of the licence of this house from Baker who formerly kept it, the consideration of the case having been adjourned from the previous week at Elham.

Mr. Minter, solicitor of Folkestone, appeared for the applicant, and said that the house had always been conducted in a respectable manner since the present tenant had occupied it, and with regard to the memorial that had been presented to the magistrates at Elham, praying them not to grant the licence, one of the signatures was that of a person in the same line of business, and the letter of the clergyman, the Rev. Mr. Preston, was only from hearsay report, and not from his own personal knowledge, therefore he thought it should have some weight with the bench, particularly as he held another memorial in Mr. Offen's favour, more numerously and quite as respectably signed as the one against him, and from the absence of all complaints by the police against the house, he left it in the hands of the magistrates feeling satisfied in taking all things into consideration they would grant the licence.

Mr. Superintendent Weston, K.C.C., was then asked by the bench if he had any complaint to bring against Mr. Offen or the house, when he replied he had none to bring against Offen – the house had acquired a bad name under the late landlord, but was very well conducted now.

The bench consulted together, and the chairman said they had decided on granting the licence to the applicant; the house it appeared had a bad name from the last landlord, and through the beer shops in the neighbourhood, therefore he must be very circumspect in his conducting the house, or the licence would be taken away.

The licences for other houses in Sandgate were renewed without any opposition.